IP Main Event Part Two
So day two, I knew I had some work to do. I don't remember too much of it early. I know Michael Brawley, the gregarious Beau Rivage dealer was at my table, and being active. We never really played any hands together and he got busted after what looked like some bad luck. The rest of the table seemed an improvement from the night before and after an early hit to my stack I grinded it up.
Later I got on a table with an Internet kid and the player in the 1k who I think gave me the compliment about not tilting after that big hand. I'm sure ya'll remember that from a couple of posts ago (ha). I got shortish with some active players chipping away at me and then me and that gentleman got in a hand together.
With KQ or KJ, I flopped I think a flush draw with a gut shot and two overs. I'm sure I'll be criticized for this but I didn't get it all in there. With the stack sizes and the read of strength I got I felt he was calling any shove so I lost my fold equity. I would have called if he had pushed but witrh my tournament life on the line I opted not to. He bet I called. The turn missed, he bet I called. The river bricked and he shoved. With most of my stack in there, I folded King high. I saw the internet kid shake his head and some of the others at the table quietly discuss in wonder how I could fold there.
I felt this was a crucial hand for me. In retrospect, I had bought my self a chance. I didn't think I could get the guy off his hand so a shove on anything but a card that made my hand would have been fruitless. My opponent intimated he flopped a monster... it didn't matter, ace high was good and having played with him in the 1k I knew he had more than that. I also thought back to the novice the night before who was criticized by "Wes" for leaving most of his stack in the pot. I assured myself I did the right thing.
I won my first double up, against the same opponent when AJ held v. A10.
I saw the Internet kid get bad beat and shove his chips in like John D'Agostino at the Taj and leave. I felt that pang of shadenfreude that you sometimes get in poker and thought to myself at least that wasn't me.
Then I went on super grind mode. I sat at or about 10 to 15 BBs all the way to the money bubble. I won hands when I needed them. The bubble saved me a little bit because I folded hands that normally I'd shove that ended up getting crushed and somehow I made it to the money.
Pokernews came over and did chip counts and asked what I had. I told them next to the nothing and my friend sweating me, via text said they posted something like not applicable. I watched several players fall and won a hand or two in the meantime still grinding.
Lots of good players remained including Rex Clinkscales, Kenny Milam, Mohammed Moeini, Jacob Naquin, Mark Eddleman, Cameron Ainsworth, and John Holley. I don't know Jacob too well but I like and admire the guy and know a slew of people that hold him in respect. We kept saying to each other at the break that we were going to go 1-2 as encouragement, although we weren't ever on the same table except for one brief moment.
At some point when we were down to maybe four tables, I looked down at a baby pocket pair and thought my relentless tightness might be enough to win me this hand. This was another memorable hand as I was blinding down to next to nothing but I thought in live poker I might have just enough fold equity to shove based on the preflop action.
Michael Nasserazad, who played wide open popped out a bet as he did just about anytime action was folded to him, and was called by John Holley on my right. In the small blind I looked at 66, I think, and I shoved. Nasserazad stewed and eventually called, a critical 50/50 decision that had my eventual tournament success completely in someone else's hands. Holley called because Nasserazad did. Holley told me if Nasserazad folded, which he almost did, he would have folded and I wouldn't have tripled up.
The flop came two hearts and Nasserazad led out. Holley folded. It didn't matter to me at the time that Nasserazad was betting because I felt like I had to hit a set to win. I hadn't yet but there were two cards to come. The turn brought the miracle 6 (I know I need to rethink my definition of a miracle if I call a two outer that but it sure felt like it). The river put four to a flush on there which neither of us hand. The guy who did have the flush was Holley. Wow. Fate couldn't have played that hand any better especially with Nasserazad betting him out before he got the improved draw on the turn.
With chips, I started to finally get out of being card dead and drag some pots. Before I knew it we were down to two tables and it was getting late. At some point I sat next to Cameron Ainsworth and he told me about a big test hanging over his head and needing to study.
Interestingly enough, I never once looked at the money and the payouts. I didn't want to know what each pay jump was worth or what we were playing for. I only wanted to make correct poker decisions. I knew the money was in the top three and I was looking to get there. And I knew my work was cut out for me.
I got into a pivitol hand where I 3bet AQ from the blinds after an early postion tight player led out and called me. Flop came AQ10. I bet it and he raised. AK made a lot of sense there and as I had AQ I wasn't that afraid of a monster set. I shoved and he called. KJ. Oh. The turn brought relief even as I was standing up to leave with a Queen ball. I never hit those. And twice in a night? Wow way to run good in a main event!
Then the kid got up and left and the dealer insta shoved me his chips even though I thought he had me covered and I was trying to leave a second before hand. In the moment, I didn't think about it but after the evening was over I wondered if I had him covered and if the dealer had bothered to check. PokerNews came over and took a pic of me thinking I was the chip leader. How quickly things can change when you are hitting two and four outers.
Mark Eddleman and I mixed it up when I had Ak. He bet, I reraised he shoved, and I folded. He said he had KK and told me good fold. I think he was being honest. Later, with the clock almost on the break for the evening Mark told me to fold slowly, I did but I didn't quite use up all the time and we had one more hand. Showing how cruel poker can be, I looked at AK again, I opened, Mark three bet me, the tournament chip leader Jeremy Drewery (pictured) reraised and I mucked. Mark shoved and Jeremy called. Mark had KK again and Jeremy QQ. Actually, John Holley might have 3bet in there and Jeremy 4bet now that I think about it.
Flop was nothing and I was telling folks on the rail what a good fold I made when an A hit the turn. Uck. Then a Queen ball on the river gave Mark a bad beat, gave Jeremy an even bigger stack, and gave me a nice burst of confidence for the next day when we'd play 12 handed. I felt bad when I let out a little exhultation when the queen hit and quickly apologized to Mark. I wasn't trying to celebrate his elimination or bad beat, but in the moment I was just glad to know I folded correctly (from a results oriented perspective which is totally the right way to look at poker). If I had just stalled a little more Mark would have joined us the next day and everything would have been different. Cruel game.
I regarded Jeremy, as one of the better players in the field so him with a lot of chips was not a good thing. Several players were sporting Circuit rings so I knew I wasn't playing just a bunch of luckboxes (like myself). In truth even with the redraws I never really played with the guys at Jacob Naquin's table. It was almost like two tournaments were merging again as my group really hadn't played with his.
Later I got on a table with an Internet kid and the player in the 1k who I think gave me the compliment about not tilting after that big hand. I'm sure ya'll remember that from a couple of posts ago (ha). I got shortish with some active players chipping away at me and then me and that gentleman got in a hand together.With KQ or KJ, I flopped I think a flush draw with a gut shot and two overs. I'm sure I'll be criticized for this but I didn't get it all in there. With the stack sizes and the read of strength I got I felt he was calling any shove so I lost my fold equity. I would have called if he had pushed but witrh my tournament life on the line I opted not to. He bet I called. The turn missed, he bet I called. The river bricked and he shoved. With most of my stack in there, I folded King high. I saw the internet kid shake his head and some of the others at the table quietly discuss in wonder how I could fold there.
I felt this was a crucial hand for me. In retrospect, I had bought my self a chance. I didn't think I could get the guy off his hand so a shove on anything but a card that made my hand would have been fruitless. My opponent intimated he flopped a monster... it didn't matter, ace high was good and having played with him in the 1k I knew he had more than that. I also thought back to the novice the night before who was criticized by "Wes" for leaving most of his stack in the pot. I assured myself I did the right thing.
I won my first double up, against the same opponent when AJ held v. A10.
I saw the Internet kid get bad beat and shove his chips in like John D'Agostino at the Taj and leave. I felt that pang of shadenfreude that you sometimes get in poker and thought to myself at least that wasn't me.
Then I went on super grind mode. I sat at or about 10 to 15 BBs all the way to the money bubble. I won hands when I needed them. The bubble saved me a little bit because I folded hands that normally I'd shove that ended up getting crushed and somehow I made it to the money.
Pokernews came over and did chip counts and asked what I had. I told them next to the nothing and my friend sweating me, via text said they posted something like not applicable. I watched several players fall and won a hand or two in the meantime still grinding.
Lots of good players remained including Rex Clinkscales, Kenny Milam, Mohammed Moeini, Jacob Naquin, Mark Eddleman, Cameron Ainsworth, and John Holley. I don't know Jacob too well but I like and admire the guy and know a slew of people that hold him in respect. We kept saying to each other at the break that we were going to go 1-2 as encouragement, although we weren't ever on the same table except for one brief moment.
At some point when we were down to maybe four tables, I looked down at a baby pocket pair and thought my relentless tightness might be enough to win me this hand. This was another memorable hand as I was blinding down to next to nothing but I thought in live poker I might have just enough fold equity to shove based on the preflop action.
Michael Nasserazad, who played wide open popped out a bet as he did just about anytime action was folded to him, and was called by John Holley on my right. In the small blind I looked at 66, I think, and I shoved. Nasserazad stewed and eventually called, a critical 50/50 decision that had my eventual tournament success completely in someone else's hands. Holley called because Nasserazad did. Holley told me if Nasserazad folded, which he almost did, he would have folded and I wouldn't have tripled up.The flop came two hearts and Nasserazad led out. Holley folded. It didn't matter to me at the time that Nasserazad was betting because I felt like I had to hit a set to win. I hadn't yet but there were two cards to come. The turn brought the miracle 6 (I know I need to rethink my definition of a miracle if I call a two outer that but it sure felt like it). The river put four to a flush on there which neither of us hand. The guy who did have the flush was Holley. Wow. Fate couldn't have played that hand any better especially with Nasserazad betting him out before he got the improved draw on the turn.
With chips, I started to finally get out of being card dead and drag some pots. Before I knew it we were down to two tables and it was getting late. At some point I sat next to Cameron Ainsworth and he told me about a big test hanging over his head and needing to study.
Interestingly enough, I never once looked at the money and the payouts. I didn't want to know what each pay jump was worth or what we were playing for. I only wanted to make correct poker decisions. I knew the money was in the top three and I was looking to get there. And I knew my work was cut out for me.
I got into a pivitol hand where I 3bet AQ from the blinds after an early postion tight player led out and called me. Flop came AQ10. I bet it and he raised. AK made a lot of sense there and as I had AQ I wasn't that afraid of a monster set. I shoved and he called. KJ. Oh. The turn brought relief even as I was standing up to leave with a Queen ball. I never hit those. And twice in a night? Wow way to run good in a main event!
Mark Eddleman and I mixed it up when I had Ak. He bet, I reraised he shoved, and I folded. He said he had KK and told me good fold. I think he was being honest. Later, with the clock almost on the break for the evening Mark told me to fold slowly, I did but I didn't quite use up all the time and we had one more hand. Showing how cruel poker can be, I looked at AK again, I opened, Mark three bet me, the tournament chip leader Jeremy Drewery (pictured) reraised and I mucked. Mark shoved and Jeremy called. Mark had KK again and Jeremy QQ. Actually, John Holley might have 3bet in there and Jeremy 4bet now that I think about it.
Flop was nothing and I was telling folks on the rail what a good fold I made when an A hit the turn. Uck. Then a Queen ball on the river gave Mark a bad beat, gave Jeremy an even bigger stack, and gave me a nice burst of confidence for the next day when we'd play 12 handed. I felt bad when I let out a little exhultation when the queen hit and quickly apologized to Mark. I wasn't trying to celebrate his elimination or bad beat, but in the moment I was just glad to know I folded correctly (from a results oriented perspective which is totally the right way to look at poker). If I had just stalled a little more Mark would have joined us the next day and everything would have been different. Cruel game.
I regarded Jeremy, as one of the better players in the field so him with a lot of chips was not a good thing. Several players were sporting Circuit rings so I knew I wasn't playing just a bunch of luckboxes (like myself). In truth even with the redraws I never really played with the guys at Jacob Naquin's table. It was almost like two tournaments were merging again as my group really hadn't played with his.
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